Nine

Ricardo sat back on his chair and watched as Diane stormed out of the living room. Luiz Sanchez's daughter had lots of guts, trying to threaten him, she didn't know anything about him but she was soon to find out what he was all about. Noone threatened Ricardo Alvarez not even his opponents gangs, he was responsible for making the threats and instilling fear in people. Diane would eventually be tamed, he was sure of it, her flame was very hot at the moment but when he was done with her, she would be out cold.

Luiz Diane had thought he would just do whatever she asked of him, he held her captive for a reason and he wasn't going to let her go until he got his money or he got satisfaction. In the Mafia world, debts were paid in cash or kind and Ricardo wouldn't mind to get his payment in kind. Luiz Sanchez knew the rules, it was just sad he didn't tell his daughter beforehand.

A slight knock on the door claimed Ricardo's attention from his mind that was wandering very far. Eric walked into the sitting room with his head at it's usual position, a glum look on his face and his hands at his back. Ricardo realized not for the first time how young Eric Matteo was, the young boy he saved that night at the casino had grown into a man who was very loyal to him. He didn't have that much friends and Ricardo felt he didn't need them. Friendships had cost him a whole lot in his life and he had been threading carefully ever since.

"Good morning boss," Eric called out as he got to Ricardo's front, "You wanted to see me?"

Ricardo adjusted in his seat, "Yes, have a seat" he pointed to the chair opposite himself.

Eric was surprised but obeyed anyways. Ricardo poured himself another drink and did the same for Eric who had stared at his with confusion written on his face. Ricardo never served anyone not even if his life depended on it, the only people he had served was his Uncle Anthonio and his late wife, Sharon. Eric could sense something was going on with the boss and it made him uneasy.

"Your application for M.I.T came in the other day" Eric couldn't hide his surprise anymore, they had replied and Ricardo had gotten the response. "Why didn't you tell me you applied for M.I.T?" Ricardo asked putting his drink down.

M.I.T had responded afterall, "I felt you would be upset" Eric stuttered and tried to regain the composure he had lost at the mention of M.I.T

"Why would I be upset that you want to pursue your dreams?" Ricardo looked hurt and Eric started feeling bad. "I'd always wanted to see you excel in technology. It had been your dream for so long and I was looking forward to seeing you achieve it" Eric felt guilty, he had made assumptions about his boss, him of all people should have known how supportive Ricardo was.

"It's just, you didn't seem interested in what I was doing and I wouldn't get in anyways so I thought it wasn't necessary to tell-"

"You got in" Ricardo said cutting Eric off mid sentence.

"I did what?" Eric was stunned.

"Your application. You got accepted into M.l.T"

"I got into M.I.T?" Eric wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or if he wanted to laugh. He had concluded he wouldn't get in, it wasn't just a normal tech school, M.I.T was the big leagues. He felt it was a dream and he was going to wake up anytime soon but he didn't want to wake up from such a wonderful dream.

"You got into M.I.T, Eric. I am very proud of you" Ricardo was beaming but Eric wasn't convinced. M.I.T didn't just accept anyone, they were very thorough and precise. Did Ricardo pull some strings?

As if he was reading Eric's mind, Ricardo answered, "I didn't pull any strings if that's what you're thinking about" Eric was slowly accepting it, his dream was coming through. Finally.

"Isn't it a lovely day?" Diane lifted her head up from the bed as the maids walked into the room. She had confronted Ricardo Alvarez and it hadn't ended well for her. She didn't even know what she had in mind when she charged into Ricardo's living room that morning but as she laid on the bed, her predicament dawned on her. Ricardo Alvarez was her captor and her father was in a huge debt that may cost him his life and hers if she wasn't careful.

"Did you like any of the dresses the boss bought for you?" The head maid asked as she walked to the dresser where they had placed the clothes earlier, a smile plastered on her beautiful face. Diane hadn't spent up to 24 hours in Ricardo's mansion but she noticed a few things about the place. Firstly, everything was almost in black and even if it suit the place perfectly, it still was creepy. Who paints his house black and keeps only items painted in black? Ricardo's mansion had the depiction of Lucifer's domain, if anyone knew what it looked like.

"I haven't tried any of them on" Diane said covering her head with the covers as she snuggled deep into the blanket.

"But they're lovely" the younger one amongst the maids chipped in as she picked up a red dress from the dresser. "How's this, Beatrice?" She turned to the head maid.

"It's lovely, it would look really nice on you, My lady" Diane raised her head out of the blanket to make sure she had heard correctly. My lady?

"Yes, It would look so good on her. Mr Alvarez has good taste you know" Beatrice winked at Diane as she studied the dress. Ricardo Alvarez had picked out the dresses for her. Why had he done such a thing and most importantly, why had he chosen such provocative dresses?

The maids took turns gushing over Diane as they made her try on all the dresses. Diane had never owned or worn the type of dresses Ricardo had gotten for her and as she sampled them for the maids to inspect and praise, she couldn't shake off the fact that Ricardo Alvarez was up to something.

The rest of the morning was spent talking about dresses, makeup, Diane's beautiful blonde hair and Ricardo Alvarez. Diane had asked about the unusual shade of black that her room had and Beatrice had delved into the history of the Alvarez mansion like she had used years to prepare for the presentation. After the hour long lecture, Diane did not only have knowledge about the boss's love for black which had prompted him to make use of the black color in almost everything, she also found out the dresses were bought to be worn at dinner every night, starting from that night.

"Why can't I have dinner in this room?" Diane asked apprehensively. Nothing good was going to come out of a dinner with Ricardo.

"You're the boss's guest, it is only right you have dinner with him" Beatrice said with a smile plastered on her face, "Besides, Mr Alvarez gave strict orders to get you ready for dinner with him" Diane felt uneasy, very uneasy.

"Yes, ma'am" Daniella, the youngest said, "He picked out the red dress" Diane took any look at the red dress resting on the arm of the chair. She had never wore something so exposing before.

As Diane slipped into the dress that didn't just expose her thighs but also showed way too much cleavage, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and froze. Ricardo Alvarez wasn't the only one making a statement that night.